Simona beamed, revealing a row of small, pearly-white teeth.
“Really!” she exclaimed.
Sampson glanced at Samuel, who had remained silent until now, and asked, “Samuel, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Samuel looked distressed. “I’m in a bad mood,” he replied.
“You’re just a child! What could possibly ruin your mood?” Jessica exclaimed. “Didn’t your mom give you a smartwatch and a tablet? What else is there to be happy about? And why are you tugging at my clothes?”
Samuel wanted to stop Jessica, but she didn’t understand.
“You… stop talking and let my uncle see me smile,” Samuel quickly composed himself, although the word ‘uncle’ made him feel sick.
That inhumane beast didn’t deserve to be called his uncle.
“Samuel, show me your watch. I forgot what it looks like.”
Sampson had purposely spilled his tea on Jessica’s phone, rendering it unusable. She hadn’t brought her phone along either.
He specifically glanced at Samuel’s wrist, but even Samuel hadn’t brought anything.
He couldn’t allow Samuel to contact Dolores.
Samuel’s eyes flickered. “Um… I forgot to bring it,” he said, a tinge of guilt visible in his eyes.
What could he be feeling guilty about?
Sampson narrowed his eyes. Jessica’s reaction was normal; she hadn’t suspected anything, which meant that Dolores hadn’t informed her about what had happened.
Dolores would have never disclosed such information to two five-year-old children without telling Jessica first.
Sampson took out his phone from his pocket and dialed Samuel’s number.
Soon, the sound of a ringing tone filled the car.
Sampson recognized the sound immediately.
It was coming from Samuel’s watch.
Samuel attempted to reach into his pocket, but it was too late.
“Samuel, why did you lie to your uncle? Don’t you remember? I bought this smartwatch for you. I specially programmed it so that it would ring even on silent mode when either your mom or I call you,” Sampson said.
Samuel only remembered after the watch had already started ringing.
How could he have forgotten something so important?
Annoyed, Samuel hung his head. “I… I just didn’t want to show it to you,” he muttered.
He lowered his head to prevent Sampson from seeing his expression.
“I recall that this smartwatch also has tracking enabled. Back then, I was afraid you might lose it,” Sampson said.
“Yeah,” Samuel said, sensing that something was off. He attempted to call Matthew.
Suddenly, Sampson pulled over the car to the side of the road and turned to look at Samuel. “Who do you want to call?” he asked.
“I didn’t make any call,” Samuel panicked, dropping his smartwatch. The watch landed face up, displaying the words ‘Heartless Guy.’
That was the nickname Samuel had given to Matthew.
In his eyes, Matthew had abandoned his mother and them. He was a heartless guy.
Even though they were now in a cooperative relationship, it didn’t mean Samuel had forgiven him.
Sampson bent down, picked up the watch, and stared at the name on it. “Who is this?” he inquired.
Beads of sweat formed on Samuel’s forehead as he nervously responded, “It’s my teacher. He looks after me, so I gave him a nickname.”
Sampson knew that Samuel used to attend AC University and had a teacher, so he no longer doubted him.
“This watch is too old. It’s time to get a new one,” Sampson stated, removing the square electronic device from it.
The screen went dark.
“No, I don’t want to change it,” Samuel protested, reaching out to grab it, but Sampson easily evaded his hand.
Jessica noticed Sampson’s strange behavior. “The watch is still working,” she commented.
Sampson threw the watch into a small river not far from the road. They had already reached the outskirts of the city.
Jessica questioned why they were so far away from the city.
Sampson explained that he had booked a farmhouse outside the city.
Jessica’s doubts were finally dispelled.
“After we finish eating and return to the market, I’ll buy you a new one. This one is too old, and many functions have stopped working,” Sampson assured her.
“It looked pretty good, and it rang just now. It was working fine,” Jessica noted, sensing that something was amiss.
“I’ll buy him a new one,” Sampson declared, starting the car and heading back toward the highway.
Suddenly, Samuel grabbed the hem of Sampson’s shirt. “I want to go home,” he pleaded.
“We’ll be there soon. Why do you want to go home?” Sampson showed no intention of stopping.
“I… I…” Samuel’s brain raced as he desperately searched for a reason. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he held his stomach, crying out, “My stomach hurts. I need to use the restroom.”
“There’s no restroom here. Please bear with it for a little longer,” Sampson replied.
“No, I can’t bear it anymore.” Samuel curled up in the backseat, appearing to be in immense pain.
“Dr. Herbert, you should stop for a moment. Samuel is in pain,” Jessica pleaded. She placed Simona in the seat and reached over to embrace Samuel, placing a hand on his stomach.
“Did you eat something that upset your stomach? Is it diarrhea?” Jessica asked, filled with worry.
“Maybe…” Samuel trembled in pain, looking genuinely distressed. “The pain is unbearable. I need to use the restroom.”
Meanwhile, Dolores had gotten into Matthew’s car, still perplexed by his peculiar behavior. She asked, “Where are you taking me?”
“I just received a call from your son while in the office,” Matthew began to explain.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated, interrupting him. He glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Abbott, so he answered the call.
Abbott’s voice came through immediately. “The tracker has suddenly turned off.”
Matthew suddenly felt a wave of nervousness. How could this be?
Did Sampson discover the truth?
“Where was the last known location before it turned off?”
“Near Dingqiao Bridge.”
“Where are you heading now?”
“I’m heading there right now.”
Matthew thought for a moment and calmly instructed him to gather a few people and check out that location.
Dingqiao Bridge was already quite far from the city, and it was a relatively remote area. Matthew speculated that Sampson must be heading somewhere nearby.
“Check if there’s a hiding place nearby.”
After ending the call, Dolores immediately asked, “Did Samuel call you?”
Matthew had initially planned to tell her, but with the current situation, he worried that she would become anxious. So, he decided to keep it to himself and simply hummed lightly.
“Why does he have your phone number?” Dolores frowned. Samuel harbored so much resentment toward him, why would he contact Matthew?
Was there something she didn’t know?
Panic began to creep into her.
“I gave it to him the last time we had dinner together. We are no longer enemies; we’re friends now. His prejudice against me is gone,” Matthew patiently explained.
However, Dolores still felt uneasy.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
In Sampson’s car, Jessica was growing increasingly anxious. “Please stop somewhere quickly. Samuel is not feeling well!”
Sampson checked the GPS in the car. They weren’t far from their destination. It wouldn’t take long to reach there, and besides, he had already disabled Samuel’s means of contacting anyone. Samuel couldn’t reach out to anyone anymore, so Sampson decided to stop the car.
He stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the backseat, telling Jessica, “I’ll carry Samuel. You stay in the car with Simona. This place is remote, and there could be dangerous people around, so be careful.”
“Okay,” Jessica replied, her voice filled with concern.
“Uncle, carry me. I can’t walk. My stomach hurts,” Samuel pleaded, hugging Sampson’s waist, appearing weak.
Sampson looked down at him. “Is it really hurting?”
“Yes, why would I lie to you?” Samuel nestled into Sampson’s arms, holding him tightly, as if seeking comfort.
Seeing him in such pain, Sampson’s heart softened a little. He had watched Samuel grow from a baby to the child he was now, and he had developed some affection for him.
With Samuel looking so frail and suffering, Sampson’s heart softened even more. “Don’t worry, I’ll carry you.”
As Samuel lay in his arms, he quietly reached into his pocket, skillfully pulling out his mobile phone while engaging Sampson in conversation. “Uncle, am I going to die?”
“What nonsense! It’s just a stomachache, not a terminal illness,” Sampson reassured him.
“But it hurts so much, really. The pain is unbearable. I feel like I’m going to die from it,” Samuel deliberately shifted his arms to conceal the fact that he was taking out Sampson’s phone.
“It’s not that easy to die. If you die, how will your mother survive…”
As Sampson mentioned Dolores, his eyes darkened with a hint of bitterness.
Successfully retrieving Sampson’s phone, Samuel discreetly slipped it into his pocket.
“Here we are.” Sampson gently placed Samuel on the ground in the middle of the woods.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Samuel swiftly pulled down his pants and crouched down, seeking relief.